Aruba

Where is Aruba?

Located in the Caribbean, Aruba is an island nation. It has a 69.00 km coastline.

The capital city of Aruba is Oranjestad. It was named for King Willem van Oranje-Nassau. It has been the capital since around the time the Dutch colonized the island. There are a lot of tourist attractions in Oranjestad that include water sports, sightseeing, and shopping. Caya G. F. Betico Croes is the most popular shopping street in Aruba. It is unique for allowing only human traffic and hydrogen fuelled street cars. The climate of the capital is Tropical Moonson. It has a wet and dry season with the temperature rarely varying from the annual average of around 83.0°F. The heat is tempered by the northeasterly trade winds which are present all year long.

Aruba is a North American country covering 180.00 km². and about 15 times smaller than Rhode Island. Its geographic coordinates are 12 30 N, 69 58 W and Oranjestad is the capital city.

The country's name is said to come from the Spanish phrase "oro huba", meaning "there is gold".

Its ISO code is AW.

Geography

Aruba has a mean elevation of 0 m above sea level.

It has a tropical marine climate with little variation. It is characterized by flat land with few hills and little vegetation.

Population

Aruba has a population of 113,648 making it the 188th largest in the world. Most of the country lives in the major cities of Oranjestad and San Nicolaas.

Papiamento is the official language, a creole mixture of Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English, and French. The major ethnic ancestry reported is Dutch, followed by Colombian and Venezuelan. The religion of the country is predominantly Roman Catholic.

The official languages accepted by the government in Aruba are Dutch and Papiamento, an Afro-Portuguese Creole which is a blend of 5 different languages. These languages include Arawak Indian, Dutch, Spanish, African, and Portuguese. Papiamento has incorporated many phrases from the English language in the last few decades. A majority of the people living in Aruba, 69.4% speak Papiamento, which was made official by the government in 2003. The other language spoken is Spanish which is used by approximately 7.1% of the population. Some of the minority spoken languages in Aruba are Chinese, German, French, and Spanish.

The dialing code for the country is 297.

Government

It is a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Its constitution was last ratified in 1986.

Ever since Aruba gained independence and enacted their constitution, the country became independent. However, it is still under the Dutch monarch. The current form of government of Aruba is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy. The monarch is represented by the governor who is appointed for a six year term and can serve for two terms if the monarch deems fit. The governor works under the cabinet and plays a major role in the running of the government. The representatives meet at the parliament building, which is located in the Aruban capital city of Oranjestad. As per the constitution, the general elections are held every four years. A prime minister is elected together with the members of the house of representative. Aruba is a multi-party state with around nine active political parties, however only three major parties have been in government since independence. Currently the prime minister belongs to the Aruban People's Party.

Economy

Factoring in Purchasing Power Parity, Aruba's GDP is $2,516,000,000.00 (USD) with $25,300.00 (USD) per capita. This makes it the 189th largest economy and its citizens the 73rd richest in the world. The currency of Aruba is the Guilder (AWG).

Its major export partners are Colombia, the Netherlands Antilles, and the United States. Its main exports are live animals and animal products, as well as art and collectibles. Its major import partners are the United States and the Netherlands. Its major imports include machinery and electric equipment, refined oil, and chemicals.

Flag

The first official flags of Aruba were made in time to celebrate the first Aruba National Day on March 18, 1976. This was the first time that the country had its own flag. The island became a member of the Netherlands Antilles on November 19, 1959. Although the island became independent from the Netherland Antilles in 1986, it has not yet gained full independence, and it is still a part of the Kingdom of Netherlands. The four main languages that are represented by the four-pointed star are Papiamento, Spanish, English, and Dutch. The country also has a standard flag used by the governor of Aruba who represents the Netherlands. It is made up of a white background with the Netherland flag running across at the top and bottom of the flag with the flag of Aruba at the center.